Sevastopol is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbors, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base throughout its history. Since the city's founding in 1783 it has been a major base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, and it was previously a closed city during the Cold War. As of January 2021 the city of Sevastopol, largely concentrated around Sevastopol Bay, had a population of 429,922, while the larger conglomerate of surrounding towns and rural communities boosts the total population of the area to 509,992.
Sevastopol, along with all of Crimea, is internationally recognised as Ukranian territory, and under Ukrainian legal framework the city enjoys special status. De facto it is administered by Russia, however, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and regards Sevastopol as a federal city. The city's population has an ethnic Russian majority, with a substantial minority of Ukrainians.
Although relatively small at 864 square kilometres, Sevastopol's unique naval and maritime features have been the basis for a robust economy.